Northumberland FA county representative team take on top of the table Durham FA U18 tomorrow (3 February) in their second fixture of the Association of Northern Counties East Division.

Durham FA, who are currently unbeaten in the league, go into tomorrow’s game with a record of one win and one draw; thumping Lincolnshire FA 6-0 in September and drawing 1-1 away at North Riding in their most recent county league fixture.

Geographically, Durham are the closest team to Northumberland, and the team will have the chance to dethrone their rivals if they can overcome them at Whitley Park tomorrow afternoon.

“We want to represent the county, the clubs and everyone as best we can and that includes winning this derby match.” said Northumberland FA U18 manager Kane Wears.

“Even though it’s a rival we won’t be changing our decision making or preparation, it’s just another league game for us.”

The Durham FA team consists of a large amount of the South Shields youth team, with the addition of players from Darlington, Spenymoor Town and Stockton Town. On the other hand, Northumberland’s squad has been sourced from Northern Alliance teams and football academies across the district.

“We have prepared with some top quality training sessions, along with a friendly against Newcastle East End to ensure that every player was given the opportunity to show why they should be in the squad,” added Wears.

“The competition for places is strong and it’s good as a manager to have players asking questions and wanting to be in the squad for the next game.”

As well as success in the league, tomorrows visitors reached the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, scoring eleven goals in the competition, before being eliminated by Gloucestershire FA 5-1 away from home.

“We expect Durham to be up for the game and prepared thoroughly,” said Wears.

“But I think there is some pressure on Durham to ensure that they stay top of the league and get back to winning ways after a defeat and a draw in their past two games.”

Entry fee for tomorrow’s fixture will be £2 on the gate and the game will kick off 2pm at Whitley Park, NE12 9FA.

Head down to Whitley Park on Saturday to offer your support!